The Parker app will automatically shows users in Manchester where their nearest free spot is. 200 sensors are to be installed in parking bays in the first UK trial of the technology

Smart parking spaces that can automatically alert drivers when they become free are set to be trialled in the UK for the first time.

Manchester City Council is testing the new technology, used in American cities, with electronic sensors placed in 200 parking bays.

For six months the system will be free to use and will not cost the council a penny either as a trial.

Experts behind the scheme said the app is voice controlled, so it can be used at the wheel, and it also works as a sat nav, directing motorists to the nearest available space.

In what will be the first major trial for a UK city, motorists will be able to download a mobile phone app which will enable them to see in real time which bays are available, reducing the need for people to drive around looking for spaces.

The free Parker app, available for iPhones and Android devices, can also act as a sat nav directing motorists to the nearest available bay and is voice-activated so can be used while driving.

The app, which recently won an innovation award at an international award ceremony in Barcelona, will also be linked to the City Council's existing pay by phone system.

It will also enable parking bosses to see detailed information about which bays are being used at what times, and for how long.

The City Council, along with its contractor NSL, is working with US-based company Streetline to trial the new system, which is currently being used successfully in cities such as Los Angeles, Washington DC and New York.

The company is providing the equipment free of charged for the six-month trial set to start in March.

The sensors are being placed in 200 bays but if the trial is successful, the system could be extended to other parts of the city centre.

Councillor Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council's executive member for the environment, said: 'This technology has proved very successful in US cities, where it has been welcomed by both businesses and motorists who say it has made finding parking spaces much easier and reduced the need for people to drive around looking for available bays.

Scroll down for demo video

The new app will help motorists find a nearby free parking space

'I believe motorists coming into Manchester to shop, eat in restaurants or go to the theatre will find it just as useful.

'Manchester was the birthplace of the computer and continues to be a dynamic place keen to take on technical innovations, and so it is entirely fitting that we should be the first British city to properly test this new system.'

Nigel Coltman, local government
director from NSL, said: 'We're really pleased that Manchester, as the
original modern city centre, has chosen to trial Parker.

'With
30 per cent of drivers looking for a parking space at any one time,
we're confident that it will significantly reduce carbon emissions,
resulting in a more pleasant and less fraught environment for all.'

HOW SMART PARKING WORKS

One of the smart sensors being used in the trial

Small sensors with wireless capabilities are placed in each parking spot - in Manchester, 200 will be installed.

Each sensor can tell a control centre if a car is parked in it.

App users can simply load the app and be automatically directed to their nearest free space.